Histological Study of White Rhinoceros Integument

This study conducted a microscopic analysis of the integumentary ultrastructure of a 46-year-old female southern white rhinoceros, revealing that the epidermis was thickest in the flank and that the stratum corneum made up more than half of the epidermal thickness. The epidermal-dermal junction had abundant papillary folds, and the dermis was primarily composed of organized collagen bundles, with the thickest bundles in the flank. Simple coiled sweat glands were present, but hair and sebaceous glands were absent. These findings indicated that the white rhinoceros had a unique integumentary system compared to other large terrestrial herbivores.